Amazon launches advert confirming backlit Kindle

Amazon is sure to have a lot in-store for us at its press conference, which will begin at 6pm BST; in the meantime, however, the firm has launched a new advert, clearly depicting two new products, the Kindle Fire 2 and a previously rumoured backlit 'paperwhite' Kindle Touch.

The incredible whiteness of the display seen in the advert is actually the device with the back-light switched on, with the screen its typical grey when the back-light is subsequently turned off. Sources have suggested that the device will also feature a higher resolution and contrast display, with a battery life of eight weeks, even with the light powered on.

A lack of buttons tells us that the new Kindle will be a Touch variant and, most promisingly, shots in the advert show that Amazon has managed to reduce the depth of the bezel around the display, a notable down-side when comparing the first-gen Touch with a standard button-navigation Kindle.

Towards the second-half of the advert we see the Kindle Fire 2, which appears thinner and lighter, though, breaking with trend, we see Amazon holding on firmly to the thickness of the bezel, placing priority on a comfortable fit over aesthetics. It's hard to pull many specs out of a brief advertisement, however, a list of suggested specifications can be found in our previous report.

FRISHIt's backlit so that you can read it in the dark. You will presumably be able to read it without the back-light when you don't need it.

It will be interesting to see the detail on this later today. All the rumours up until now were regarding a front lit screen. I've not seen much info on the technology to support backlighting on an e-ink screen. It should still be much easier on the eye than an LCD screen because it will not be refreshing at 60hz+.

The battery claims are interesting but bear in mind that Amazon typically assumes 30 minutes use per day, so 8 weeks is probably about 30 hours of actual use.